Build your hiring timeline from the work required and the people available to do it. A single market average cannot tell you when a specific founding engineer, AI specialist, or GTM hire will accept an offer.
Correction: Earlier versions of this page quoted unsupported placement statistics. Those statistics have been removed. The guidance below is a planning method, not a measured market benchmark.
Work backward from the business need
Name the outcome that requires the hire and the date it matters. Then separate the candidate's start date from the accepted-offer date: notice periods, relocation, and personal commitments can create a gap between them.
List the work your team must complete before sourcing: approved scope, budget, interviewers, evaluation criteria, and a decision owner. Put those items on the plan rather than hiding them inside an optimistic recruiting estimate.
Track distinct stages
| Stage | Track | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Search preparation | Time to agree the brief and budget | Whether the organization is ready to recruit |
| Sourcing | Time to suitable, interested introductions | Whether the search approach fits the role |
| Evaluation | Time between interview stages | Whether interviewer capacity is delaying decisions |
| Offer | Time from decision to accepted or declined offer | Whether terms and approval steps are clear |
| Start | Time between acceptance and joining | Whether candidate availability fits the business need |
Review bottlenecks before widening the search
If few candidates meet the bar, inspect whether the brief combines incompatible responsibilities or constraints. If suitable candidates decline interviews, inspect the role proposition and requirements. If interviews stall, inspect decision ownership and calendar capacity.
Change one important assumption at a time and record the reason. Adding more sourcing channels will not resolve a slow approval process.
Keep open searches visible
Report searches that are active, paused, cancelled, and closed. A time-to-hire average calculated only from easy, completed roles can misrepresent the experience of the whole hiring team.
Use a range for planning when the inputs are uncertain. Label it as your team's forecast and update it as actual stages complete. Do not describe a forecast as a provider guarantee.
Ask a recruiting partner for a search plan
Ask which parts of the role are likely to be difficult, how they will validate the market, what feedback they need, and when you will review progress together. If they cite historical results, request comparable roles, sample size, period, and definitions.
The hiring metrics template explains how to measure progress without mixing different events or denominators.
Hiring with Refery
Refery helps early-stage startups hire engineering, AI, and GTM talent through introductions from founders, operators, investors, and specialist recruiters, with screening for the role. The current service and pricing are 15% to 25% of first-year base salary, paid only when you hire; scope and fee are agreed upfront.
Share your role with Refery, or use the hiring brief template to prepare your search.